Here is an eight step guide to creating a beginner resume

A resume is an important professional document that helps job seekers during a job search. A resume emphasizes the job-related skills, experience, achievements, and other qualifications of a candidate. If you are creating a resume for the first time, it can feel almost overwhelming. How can you condense years of education, training, and experience into just one document?

1. Choose the Right Format

You have three choices for your resume format: chronological, functional, and combination. Since you are still at the beginner stage of your career, a chronological resume format would be more appropriate for you. This resume format will allow you to add your chronological work experience prominently to your resume, followed by other important details.

2. Use a Clear and Concise Layout

Your resume should be easy to read to ensure that hiring managers do not miss a single piece of valuable information. You must select a font size between 10 and 12. Ensure that you don’t write lengthy paragraphs for your resume. Instead, break up your text into bullet points. Use headings and subheadings to differentiate between resume sections. Leave ample white space on your resume for visual appeal.

3. Include Contact Information

The contact information section is the most important section of your resume. It comes right after your name and resume headline. You must add your telephone number, email address, city, and state. Avoid mentioning your full address on your resume. Use a professional email address. Additionally, you can include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume. If you have social media accounts or a personal website where you share content related to your job, add links to them as well.

4. Write a Compelling Summary Statement

Your resume summary is the first thing an employer reads on your resume after your name. Therefore, it must be nothing short of perfect. When you create a captivating resume summary, the hiring manager will get hooked on your resume. Use 2 – 4 sentences to describe your best skills, experience, and professional achievements.

5. Highlight Your Education

Your resume should feature a well-written education section. Follow the reverse chronological order when listing your educational qualifications. When you list a degree, mention the name of the degree, the college and location, and relevant years. You can expand your education section by adding relevant coursework and academic achievements if you have less work experience. If you have a high school diploma or GED, list it as well.

6. Showcase Your Work Experience

Your work experience should have a special place on your resume. List your past work experiences in reverse chronological order. This means, your most recent (or current) job goes on top. For each job entry you make, highlight the job title, company name, location, and relevant years. Use 3 – 6 bullet points to describe professional achievements of recent and relevant jobs. When describing older or less related jobs, you can use less than 3 bullet points.

7. Include Relevant Skills

The key skills section is the best place for you to incorporate keywords into your resume. Mention 10 – 15 relevant skills you possess. These can be anything such as coding knowledge, language skills, or certifications. Use bullet points to highlight your skills. When you are in doubt about including a skill on your resume, refer to what the employer has demanded in the job description.

8. Proofread and Edit

Last but not least, you must thoroughly proofread your resume before you submit it for a job application. Ensure that your resume does not have any spelling or grammatical errors. Sometimes, it helps to read your resume aloud. It will help you detect any issues you have with clarity and long sentences. Get the help of a friend to review your resume as well, and ask for their feedback.